Redskins.com twitter - Redskins officially sign K Rackers and LB Goff

[GhostofSparta]

Gano had 3 unblocked misses last hear with 34 makes?

Pretty darn impressive.

Actually he was 31/41 with 5 blocks: http://www.nfl.com/player/grahamgano/71309/profile

So he missed 5 unblocked kicks. Those stats are only from 13 games. But, that gives him a FGM% of 76%. So if you are stingy and only give him 3 of those 5 blocks as makes (a 60% rate), his FGM% goes up to 83% (34/41). Give him 4 of those 5 and he's up to 85%. Rackers was 83% last year with no blocks. Not seeing a big improvement there.

So if Danny "Juicy Fruit" Smith could get our damn guys to block on kicks, Gano is hitting over 80% of his kicks last year. And don't forget he made a franchise-record 59 yarder last year IN DC (outdoor and at sea level).

[MrJL]

I may be remembering wrong, but I think one of Gano's problems is other teams actually can freeze him with a timeout.

[Bang]

I'd also point out that one of Gano's misses was his first attempt of the year vs NY.
Not an excuse at all, but considering how few he missed after the first attempt it shows he has what it takes.

He's not the problem.

~Bang

[Larry Brown #43]

It sure seemed like a lot of Gano’s misses last year were the result of opposing rushers running uncontested past our blockers and into Gano’s face. So in that sense, signing Rackers makes sense. He’s a bigger body and harder to take down when the FG attempt breaks down and he winds up with the ball in his hands.

[RVAbrendan]

I will never forget the botched extra point snap VS. Tampa Bay. Heartbreaking. Get competent special teams play and Gano is as solid as any other NFL kicker.

That being said, Rackers is a beast. Let the best man win.

[jivelikenice]

What we also need to understand is how responsible is Gano for the blocked kicks. I'm not saying he and I haven't researched this at all but I would be curious to see if he's taking to long to get the kick off. At least on TV it seems like he is pretty slow and approaches kicks very cautiously which might give defenders more time to get in position for the block.

[GhostofSparta]

I will never forget the botched extra point snap VS. Tampa Bay. Heartbreaking. Get competent special teams play and Gano is as solid as any other NFL kicker.

That being said, Rackers is a beast. Let the best man win.

I remember the "tying" TD at the end of that game. I was watching with my wife (who I have made pretty knowledgeable about football ), and I turned to her and said "They need to go for 2 and just win it now. If they just settle for the kick here, they lose." She thought I was nuts, and say "At least in OT, they'll have a good shot at winning if they can get the ball first." On the fumbled PAT attempt, she just looked at me like I was a witch and said "OK, did you KNOW they were going to miss it, or what?!"

[Bang]

What we also need to understand is how responsible is Gano for the blocked kicks. I'm not saying he and I haven't researched this at all but I would be curious to see if he's taking to long to get the kick off. At least on TV it seems like he is pretty slow and approaches kicks very cautiously which might give defenders more time to get in position for the block.

On each block, the right side and center of the line caves in like bowling pins. As i recall, the Cardinals overloaded the right guard and just bumrushed into the backfield in week 2 or 3 for the first one of the year.(whichever one we played them).., and Seattle did the same thing, as did the last block that resulted in Gano getting a broken vertebra.
Folks want to be forgiving of the injury situation, but don't take into account that on offense, these same backup linemen are springing rookie running backs for big games week after week. So they can block on offense, but on special teams.. there seems to be a chronic problem of blocked kicks coming from the right side.

We had offensive line injuries this year, and that accounts for some of the blame, but the Cardinals game was with everyone totally healthy. Gano showed plenty of leg this year, his kicks are generally high and straight. He hit a 59 yarder that looked like it could have gone 62.

~Bang

[RVAbrendan]

I remember the "tying" TD at the end of that game. I was watching with my wife (who I have made pretty knowledgeable about football ), and I turned to her and said "They need to go for 2 and just win it now. If they just settle for the kick here, they lose." She thought I was nuts, and say "At least in OT, they'll have a good shot at winning if they can get the ball first." On the fumbled PAT attempt, she just looked at me like I was a witch and said "OK, did you KNOW they were going to miss it, or what?!"

Dude, I tell you, that was probably the most contrast between happy and furious I've ever experienced.

I went to that game with a buddy of mine who's a Bucs fan. It was raining so there were a bunch of lower level seats that were empty. We found out way down there and couldn't have been happier. When Moss caught that ball in the end zone, I was flipping out! All they need is an extra point as we've got a chance! This is a sure-fire thing! I could literally feel my joy drop to the pit of my stomach when they botched that snap. It was awful!!

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

i think some skins fans sell gano short. i think he has already proved that he is an nfl kicker and is the future. but just like everyone, he'll have to continually earn his roster position.

let's keep in mind that he did in fact fracture 2 back bones while attempting to make a tackle on the league worst 5th blocked field goal this year. and not only that, but he set the franchise record for longest kick this year and his career field goal % is already higher than lohmiller's, despite lohmiller having 1 block his entire career. now this isnt to bash lohmiller in any way, as statistics arent really comparable over generations, but i just feel that people remember the good times that surrounded lohmiller and forget the missed kicks, because our offense wasnt useless at that time.

Solid points. I'm a Gano fan, and me turning my head during kicks has more to do with my "battered wife" syndrome that I have developed as a fan. And I definitely remember Lohmiller missing some kicks, I just liked his toughness.

Moral of the story is this...we all hope that our offense becomes so badass that our kicker will be the least of our worries.

[ciresolstice]

Rackers can't solve the Danny Smith problem. I won't be convinced that our special teams issues have been fixed until he's gone.

^^^ Bang, is that you? lmao

[GhostofSparta]

Dude, I tell you, that was probably the most contrast between happy and furious I've ever experienced.

I wanted to be happy. I really did. But even after scoring the improbably TD, there was that part of my brain saying "Yeah, but you know this team. Plus, it's IN Tampa, so they'll get screwed somehow..."

Alstott never crossed the line, dammit!

[Bang]

^^^ Bang, is that you? lmao

Yay, there be many who choose to walk in the Light.

~Bless

[Leonard Washington]

I'd be more excited about Goff if he wasn't coming off a leg injury. I think its a good risk to take. I assume he passed a rigorous physical.

[mi6]

Well all of Rackers misses were from 40+ yards except one 36 yarder (which happens). And I know two or three were missed from 49-51 yards and I believe the others were longer 40 yarders too. He missed six total last year. Unlike Gano who missed from 25 yards and missed another 4-5 kicks from 30-39 yards (he missed 10 total kicks)........unacceptable imo.

We should have gone with a young, fresh, proven college kicker. Rackers is old. And, has an average leg. Nothing too spectacular.

---------- Post added May-1st-2012 at 04:46 PM ----------

I hope the next guy we cut is Jammal Brown. Worst signing ever!